Deep Water in the Tabernacle

The local corporation that sponsored the residential Chautauquas in Ottawa’s Forest Park (1883-1914) had an uneasy relationship with the river. It provided a scenic backdrop for the lectures, choirs, and festive parades during the Assembly sessions. Visitors could steam up the river to “Wheeler’s Grove” at the head of The Island on a little steamer named Gertie and walk the riverside. But the threat of floods and the floods themselves caused the Assemblies to be delayed, postponed, or cancelled.